Herb Chambers eyes Porsche Service Station at Donovan’s

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — Herb Chambers is looking to build a new Porsche Service Station on the current Donovan’s Liquors property on Route 1 North. 

Atty. Jesse Schomer said during a recent Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting that Herb Chambers is seeking Site Plan Approval under the Zoning Bylaw to redevelop a portion of 433-451 Broadway and 807 Salem St. in order to allow the Porsche Service Station to be built. 

“The site is zoned principally General Business,” said Schomer. 

Schomer said the proposed Porsche Service Station would have 149 parking spaces, seven of which would be electric vehicle charging stations. 

“The building will contain 12 service bays for the Porsche Service Station, washing stations, a parts department and spaces for employees and customers,” said Schomer. “It is a service station only. It is not a dealership.”   

While a traffic study has yet to be undertaken, Schomer said the Porsche Service Station will generate less traffic than Donovan’s Liquors. 

“It will be an 87 percent reduction in the peak rate of traffic,” said Schomer. “These kinds of service stations don’t generate a lot of traffic. Employees come in the morning and customers come at various points during the day. In my experience, there have been rush times where customers come in the morning and leave in the afternoon. In speaking with the Herb Chambers folks, that is no longer the case. People come at all hours of the day, so there is no morning rush.” 

Schomer said the Porsche Service Station will be connecting to Lynn Water and Sewer. 

“That will eliminate the on-site septic system,” said Schomer. 

Schomer said Herb Chambers is looking to plant trees in order to provide screening for abutters on Canterbury Road. 

“We are willing to work with the neighbors about where they are located,” said Schomer. “Evergreens will provide a buffer year-round. We don’t want to have a negative impact on our neighbors. We want to be good neighbors.”   

Schomer also said an existing home at 807 Salem St. that Herb Chambers purchased will not be developed as part of the project. He said the home will provide additional screening.

Williams and Sparages professional engineer Chris Sparages said trees will need to be removed in order to construct the service station’s parking lot. 

“We would like to provide a nice, healthy screening,” said Sparages. “In our opinion, evergreen type of trees would be best to provide screening throughout the year, but we wanted to leave it open and work with the neighbors. We have some trees we would like to remove that are between the business property and the residential property, and those trees are subject to the Tree Preservation Bylaw. We know that replacement trees are in order, and we would like to take those replacement trees and use them for screening purposes.”

Sparages said the Porsche Service Station will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. from Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays. 

“There will be no operation on Sundays,” said Sparages. 

Sparages said the parking lot’s lighting will be “dimmed” at 8 p.m. 

“All of the lighting in the parking area will be reduced by 50 percent,” said Sparages. “It will provide safety and will allow the cameras to keep an eye on things overnight.” 

Sparages said the project seeks to eliminate one of the four curb cuts on the property. 

“I think reducing the number of curb cuts from four to three is a good thing to do in this case,” said Sparages.  

Sparages said the Conservation Commission will also be reviewing the property’s stormwater management system because it will abut wetlands. Planning and Conservation Director Emilie Cademartori informed the Villager that Linden Engineering will be undertaking a peer review. 

In response to a question from ZBA Chair Anthony Moccia, Sparages said the Porsches that will be serviced at the new facility will occur inside. 

Moccia said automotive repair shops are allowed in a General Business Zoning District.

“Under our zoning code, we can’t deny this project,” said Moccia. “We can only impose reasonable conditions.” 

Abutters air concerns

After the project team finished giving an overview of the proposed Porsche Service Station, several abutters expressed concerns about it. 

Canterbury Road resident Stephanie Slate asked why the 807 Salem St. home will not be redeveloped as part of the project. 

Sparages said the home will not be razed because it is located in a Residence A Zoning District. He said the only way that portion of the property could be redeveloped is if Town Meeting approved a zoning change.

“We can’t have a business use on a residential lot,” said Sparages. 

Slate also expressed concerns about the project’s impact on traffic in the Salem Street and Canterbury Road area. She requested that the number of curb cuts be reduced from four to two instead of the proposed three. She also asked that a traffic study be undertaken. 

“Since 2022 after I had my son, I have asked the DOT (Massachusetts Department of Transportation) to update the traffic signal pattern as well as put down road markings,” said Slate. “I request that when you do a traffic study that you include the Salem Street part of this because it is not just Broadway. The Canterbury Road residents will be affected. We have had Herb Chambers dealership cars go down our street barreling. We have 25 kids on our street. This is a safety issue. While I am in favor of the proposal, I do ask that you all take the traffic patterns seriously.” 

Sparages agreed with Slate that taking a left out of Canterbury Road is “hard.” However, he said Herb Chambers opposes reducing the number of curb cuts from four to two. 

“That is a non-starter,” said Sparages.  

Canterbury Road resident Jeff West said he is concerned about how cars will be entering and exiting the Porsche Service Station. 

“You can’t accommodate everybody who wants to break the laws, but the more challenging it is for them, the better,” said West. 

Canterbury Road resident Syed Ovais said he wants to make sure trees get planted by his property in order to reduce the amount of noise generated by the Porsche Service Station. 

“I am concerned about the service station’s noise,” said Ovais. “Donovan’s Liquors opens at 10 a.m. and the service station will open at 7 a.m. I am concerned about our privacy. Our privacy is more important.”

While Moccia said he understands Ovais’ concerns, he reiterated that the ZBA cannot deny Herb Chambers’ Site Plan Approval application. 

“We can impose reasonable restrictions because that is what the law permits, but we can’t gut the project either,” said Moccia. “There is a lot more to talk about: When trash is going to be picked up and how often. It’s not going to be at 5 a.m. with backup beepers going. That is all part of the process. Herb Chambers has been a responsible merchant in this town for a long time, and I like to think nothing is going to change in the manner they run their businesses. We are going to include as many restrictions and requirements as we can.”  

Grove Street resident Paul Comeau aired concerns about the Porsche Service Station’s lighting shining into his house. 

“We have been there since the early 1990s, so we have seen some major changes,” said Comeau. “We lost a beautiful church, Lynnfield Meat and Deli and now we are losing Donovan’s. These are residential type of amenities for the area. We understand change has to happen, but additional parking for the dealerships is slowly encroaching into this area.” 

Comeau also expressed concerns about snow removal. 

“We are surrounded by the church, the bank across the street and now this site will be well-maintained,” said Comeau. “Snow removal seems to happen at the worst time of the day. I would like to see if that could be addressed as well. It is more of a noise issue if anything.”

In response to a question from Moccia, Sparages explained why Herb Chambers is looking to bring a Porsche Service Station to Route 1 North. 

“Herb Chambers has a Porsche dealership in Burlington where they sell and service vehicles,” said Sparages. “It’s relatively new. Years ago, there was a Porsche and Audi dealership up on Route 114 in Danvers that closed. That opened up the ability for Herb Chambers to open up a facility in Burlington. What Porsche Corporate is finding through their customer feedback is it is very difficult for folks who live up on the North Shore to have their cars serviced in Burlington and then go to work. There was a need. When this opportunity opened up, Herb Chambers purchased this property with the intent of putting a building on it.” 

Canterbury Road resident Robert MacDougall said having another car facility in the area will increase noise. 

“The way they locate vehicles in the parking lot sets off car alarms,” said MacDougall. “This happens all day, every day. It’s a huge problem. It’s going to increase the noise. We have called and complained about the dealerships doing this, and it has had very little impact. They don’t seem to care. I am not sure there is anything the board can do.”

Canterbury Road resident Kristin Tenaglia said she wants to make sure Herb Chambers undertakes pest control before Donovan’s Liquors gets razed. 

Building Inspector Joe O’Callaghan said Herb Chambers will be required to conduct pest control before Donovan’s Liquors gets razed. 

“They are supposed to maintain that throughout the process of construction,” said O’Callaghan.  

After the discussion, the ZBA voted to continue the Porsche Service Station discussion to its next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3. 

“We unpacked a lot, but there is a lot left,” said Moccia.